


The Last Ride

by MRichardHelton



Category: Night Gallery (TV)
Genre: Gen, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-06 20:20:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17946467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MRichardHelton/pseuds/MRichardHelton
Summary: This peice tonight is about a young man who lives a life of crime that trying to escape after a bank robbery. So desperate to escape that he boards a train going one way any where from where he just was.





	The Last Ride

**Author's Note:**

> The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.  
> Once again i do not own Rod Sterling, I'm only borrowing him.  
> Nothing here should be taken as a judgement upon anyone.

The Last Ride  
Written By:  
M. Richard Helton

Author’s notes: This is one of my short stories. I really loved night gallery and when I wrote this is was trying to capture the essence of night gallery. I had this on a couple of other writing websites, but I did not like the layout. Besides here I have gotten a better response from readers. Please do not take this story personal and enjoy. 

A man runs down the streets, in the shadows, wearing a black three piece suit. He stops at the corner and looks behind him, and see no one following him. He turns back around to look in front of him and sees a very old train station made of red bricks across the street in the little fog. The train station was long rectangle shape, but not very wide. The building was only one story in height with Red Terracotta tiles roof.   
The man ran up to the front glass frame brown wood door on the right side, and open the door. Once inside, the man walked with great speed, in his steps, to a large beautiful brown wooden ticket booth about fifty feet from the front door. The man stops in front of the booth and says, “One way, please! I will go anywhere far away from this damn town!” An elderly gray haired man wearing small round metal glasses upon his nose stepped forward. He wore a very old Ticket Taker outfit from head to his shoes. The Ticket Taker looked at him and give a warm smile.   
The Ticket Taker said, “As you wish, sir.” The older man takes the money, and places it in an old cash register. The older man pulls out a very old ticket from a draw and hands it to the younger man and say, “This is your ticket for this train on track one. The train will take you to your destination and out of this town for good, sir. Please, just walk through those double red doors, at the far end of the station, to your train on track number one. You have a few minutes, before your train will leave on track one, sir. Make sure you have everything in hand and are ready to board in a few minutes. Check your ticket, before heading through the red door. Have a nice peaceful ride to your final destination. Good night, and nice serving you, sir! Good bye and thank you for riding our train!” The younger man turns away with the ticket in hand, and glaces at the ticket and see Locomotive Number 666. He laugh at the ticket. While he turns back toward the booth, he saying, “This is a joke, right?” But, the old Ticket Taker man was gone.   
The man stared as he held on tight to his black small suitcase and places his ticket into his pocket. He say to himself, “I have everything, I need in this suitcase.” He slowly turns around still looking for the Ticket Taker and starts walking to the far end of the station to the red double doors. He moves quickly to the red doors looking back, to the front doors of the station, now and then, to see if anyone is followed him into the station. He stops at the red doors and looks back one more time, before turn toward the red doors an opening then to exit to his train. He opens the door with a shaky hand and walks through the red door on the right. He walks down the a dark long hall with his black small suitcase in hand. He see some light at the end of this hall. He says to himself, “Alright Paul, calm down you are safe now. They almost got me this time, but I got away clean and with the suitcase filled with money, once again. No little town can stop, Paul the Hitman Henderson. I need money, and I just simply take the money. Anyone tries to stop me, and The Hitman takes over.” Paul walks with pride and a little bounce in his step down the dark hallway. He finely reaches the end of the hall and steps onto a platform with some light. Where a very old train awaits him.  
Paul looked at train’s black with red trimmed painting. All the train’s step to the engine and passenger’s cars where painted red as well. Steam rolled up from under the engine of the train. Two Conductors stood next to the train in their old fashion conductor’s outfit. They looked like they stepped out of mid eighteen hundred. One Conductor stood near the engine and first passenger’s car, and the other stood near the very end of the last passenger’s car at the red steps.   
The Conductor near the last car, pulls a Gold Watch connected to a long gold chain out of his vest right pocket. The other end of the chain is connected to one of his vest button. He looked at his watch as he adjusts his black conductor’s hat on his head. The Conductor looks up from his gold watch and looked at Paul and said, “All a board, sir! The train will be leaving in a few moments. Please, be careful when boarding the train. The steps can be a little slippery from the steam and the moister in the air tonight. So please, step carefully when using to step’s of passenger car.”  
Paul thanked the Conductor as he pass him. The Conductor’s eyes where now looking forward like he is in a trance. He never looked once at Paul, yet Paul felt like his eyes where trained on him the whole time he pass him. Paul grabbed on to the Red Step’s railing as he looked back at the dark hallway one last time for anyone following him. But, there was no one running after him to stop him. He pulls himself up the six small red steps to the platform, on the rear of the last passenger car steps, and onto the red platform on the rear of the passenger car. Paul walks over to the red door that leads inside the car. He passes a window and tries to look inside the passenger car, but the window is made of black mirrored glass. Paul can not see inside the window, but he could only see himself looking back.  
The door opens wide as Paul opens the door and steps inside the passenger car onto a black cushion rug with red vines patterns running through the a whole rug. The rug runs from the front door to the rear door, in between the rows of seat on the aisles only Paul looks all around the passenger car. All the seats are made of dark red crush velvet with black vine pattern on them, and with matching arm rests. Small kerosene lamps where lit and rest on the wall, of the passenger car, in between each window, near the top of each window. Every window was made of Black Mirrored glass. Red long twisting rope, with a black Tassel on the very end at the bottom, hung next to each window seat. The passenger car was half full of men and women passenger just sitting and looking out into the black mirrored windows. He also noticed, all of the people looked very sad and melancholy. Most of them sat a lone and not saying one word to one another.  
Two seats sat empty near the back of the car near Paul and the back door. A woman sitting in front of the empty seats, turn toward Paul and smiled at him. She say,” Hello, sir! My name is Lizzie. Welcome a board!” Then she turns away before Paul could say one word to her. Lizzie just stared into the black mirrored window and stopped talking all together. Paul walked to the empty seat and sat down next to the window. He sat down slowly as he stared at the people in the passenger car in front of him.   
The Conductor opened the door behind Paul. He started to look around at the passengers as he took a few steps toward Paul’s seat. Paul looks back at the Conductor and said,” What is the hold up, Mac?” The Conductor looks down at Paul and says,” We wait for one person, before we can leave this station. Ahh, I can hear him coming down the hallway, now! Excuse me, sir!” The Conductor turns away from Paul and start walking to the back door. He opens the door and steps out on the back of the passenger car’s red platform and down the steps. The Conductor stood next to the train on the station’s platform waiting for the next ride to board his train.  
Paul hears the Conductor say out loud,” Welcome, and all a board. The train leaves just as soon as you take your seat on the train, sir! A man’s voice says,” Great, my good friend. I can not get out of the crazy circus of a town. I will be happier, when we are miles from here.” The Conductor say,” As soon a your on board and seated, we will leave this station.” Paul hears the sound of someone climbing the six steps, and walking toward the back door.  
The man says,” I am ready to go! Let us get this train rolling. And, Mister Conductor, all I have to say is, Home James and do not spare the gas. Here is a shinny new silver dollar for you.”   
Paul hears the Conductor yell out, “All a board,” one more time as Paul can now hear the train’s engine trying to start. The wheels of the train tries to grip, on to the track, below her powerful engine. Finely, she grabs onto the cold case iron tracks, and causes the passenger cars to jerk one big jolt moving the people forward then back into their padded seat.   
The man yells out, “So long, you damn cursed town!”  
The door behind Paul open and closed. Paul turned around to see a man standing just inside the passenger car’s back door. He stand in front of the red door while taking off his white with a red band Fedora hat. He brushes off his beige two piece suit. He finishes brushing himself, and raises his head to look around the passenger car. The man makes eye contact with Paul, and walks up right next to him. He says to Paul, “Hi! My name is John. Who just died? Why all the long faces, “John wipes the sweat from off his forehead and cheeks with a white handkerchief. John says, “This summer heat gets to me.”   
Paul says, “Hi. My name is Paul. I just got here myself. I do not know what is going on here or why the sad faces.”  
“Well Paul! I am glad to be getting out that damn town. You know I almost bought the farm back there at that Movie house! Damn, I am one lucky man, Paul. So, what is your story?”  
“Well, let us just say I almost caught a thirty eight slug in the back of the head. But, the shot just miss me, and here I am on this train getting out of town as well, John. I am glad I caught this train heading out of town tonight.  
“Yeah, I agree with you brother. Hey! Who is the good looking Dame with the nice Gams? Is she sitting all a lone?”  
“I do not know if she with anyone. All I have seen is she sits alone. The lady’s name is Lizzie, but she is not much of a talker that one.”  
“Well, I have never meet a woman, I could not get them to talk to me, one way or another. Well, I will talk to you in a little while, Paul. Good bye for now my friend Paul!”  
“Good luck, John! And, good bye for now.”  
John walked down the aisle toward Lizzie and said, “Hi good looking whatcha you got cooking. What is a beautiful Dame, like yourself, sit here by yourself. Lizzie turns toward John and give him a big smile. She said, “Well! Hello here, Johnny!” Paul shakes his head and laughs a little as he turns to look out his window, but all he can see are some shadows and faint images.  
The Conductor walked into the front of the passenger car and walked up to John. He asked for John’s train ticket. John reaches into his inside coat pocket, and pulls out his ticket. The Conductor says something to John softly. John looks at the Conductor and sits down in a seat, just in front of Lizzie, next to the black mirrored window. John asks some question. The Conductor answered him. John’s face change from happy to one of great sadness. John turns his head toward his black mirrored window and begins to stares. A voice ring out from the silent. Paul turn to see it was Lizzie who yelled out. Lizzie looked away from her black mirrored window. She dropped her head down, and tears began to run down her face. Lizzie raised her head to look at the window. No one else looked away from their windows. She raised her hands and covered her face as she started to cry even harder and out loud. A sound came from the front of the passenger car. Paul looked at the front of the car to see the front red door handle starting to turn. The red door opened and the Conductor walk into the passenger car. He looked right at Lizzie. Paul felt the train start to slow down. A few moments later, the train came to a complete stop. The Conductor walked slowly toward Lizzie. She heard his foot steps and uncovered her face to look to see who was walking toward her. She looks up at the Conductor with tear filled eyes.  
The Conductor looked back at her and said, “Lizzie Borden! This is your station and final destination for you. Please this way!” Lizzie shakes her head in disbelieve. She stands up shaken and step out into the aisle’s rug just in front of the smiling Conductor. Lizzie looks back at the window one more time. She says, “Is that my destiny. My future here at this station?”  
“Yes! Please this way, Miss Borden. This is your stop. You paid for this stop and station. This way, please.”  
“But, I am sorry. I need and want to go back to fix things. I promise I will come right back.”  
“I am sorry, but no! This train only goes one way, and one direction always. There is no going back now. Please this way.”  
“But, I said I am sorry! I am really sorry.”  
Lizzie stepped pass, on the left of the Conductor while still crying, and her head hung low. She walks slowly down the aisle toward the door. John never looked up, never. Lizzie reaches the red door in the back of the passenger car. The Conductor follows her and stops right behind her. He reaches around her to open the door. The door opens, and Lizzie starts to walk out and on to the passenger car’s platform. Lizzie turn back to look at the Conductor and said, “I do not want to be my Father and Mother on their last days on this earth. I do not want to live their lives over and over again forever! Please one more chances. Please will somebody help me!” The Conductor said, “No one will help you. They are all busy and can not help you. This way, please.” They stepped out an on to the red platform the red door closed behind them as they continued to walk toward the steps to the station’s platform.  
A few seconds pass, when Paul started hearing Lizzie say, out loud, “I do not want to go! No! No! No! Paul could still hear Lizzie screaming continue,” no, no, no!” All of a sudden, Lizzie voice start to change. Her voice was now going lower and lower in pitch. Soon her voice was one of a man’s voice screaming over and over,” No, No, NOOOO!” Then there was silent. Moments later, Paul could hear an older woman screaming in great pain. The blood curdling scream ring out both times over and over again. The sound of someone chopping something filled the station. Paul almost lost count somewhere after thirty, but he thought the count was forty the first time and forty one the next time.  
The Conductor walked into the rear of the passenger car. The hunting sounds filled the station. The train start to move once again. The screams seem to fade away as the train picked up speed down the tracks. The Conductor walks down the aisle toward front of the passenger car. He stops next to John seat, and looked in John’s direction. John slowly looks away from his Black mirrored window with tears running down his face. He wipes his eyes and face while he reaches into his coat pocket with the other hand, and pulls out a handkerchief. He blows his nose after wiping off his tears. John slowly looked up at the Conductor from his seat and says with more tears forming in his eyes again, “I am not a bad man. Yes, I did those things to people, but I am a nice person. Everyone calls me a gentleman. The ladies love my charm. I deserve a second chance. I am not like that woman Lizzie.” The Conductor face grew cold and hard as he said, “John Dillinger! The next stop is your final destination!”  
The train started to slow down and finely stopped. John says out loud, “There is some mistake! I was never killed, the bullets miss me in that alley next to the Movie House. I do not belong on this train. The bullets miss me, right Mister Conductor!”  
“No! They hit their target, you! John Dillinger, this way! Please!”  
“No! I will not move from this seat! And, no one can make me move one inch! Understand me, not one inch. So, take a hike, or a long walk off a short pier! Get lost!”  
The Conductor’s face grew darker and his eye turn red with anger. He lifts up his right hand and points his index finger right at John. And, John started to raise to his feet. John screamed, “No! Stop!” But, he continued to raise onto his feet. John’s legs walked him out and on to the black carpet, in the center of the aisle, then his body turned with his legs toward the red door. John continued to scream as his legs carried him toward the opening red door, as the Conductor order. Paul saw the door open by itself as John walk with no control of his legs. John walked out the red door, while still yelling, followed by the Conductor. The John’s voice soon fade way. The only sound Paul heard was the train starting to move once more into the darkness of the night.  
The red door open and the Conductor walks inside closing the door behind him. Paul looks at the Conductor for a while, then he turned and looked at the black mirrored glass next to his seat. Paul starts seeing images in the window. The images were people being harmed or killed by him. He saw and felt their pain. And, the sorrows of their loved ones.  
A short time had passed, and train started to slow down once more. Paul finished watching with tears in his eyes. He had watched everyone’s pain and suffering. All of the people he had hurt or killed in his life. He looked up at the Conductor and said, “I forgot how many people I worked on in my line of work. All their pains! I am an evil man! Hey, by the way, what is this train and where does it take us, Mac!”  
“My name is not Mac! My name is Legion for I am many!”  
“Just like the Bible?”  
“Yes! Just like the Bible you people never read. If you people just follow the Law of the Moses given by God, none of you people would be on my train. And, I would not be here on this train as well. What is this train? Do you people ever read your ticket? I am cursed. That is why I have to deal and talk with you people forever!”  
Paul pulls out his ticket out of his coat pocket and start to read his ticket. The end of the ticket had “One Way Only” printed on it in big letters from side to side. Across the top of the ticket read, “Train Number 666. Below the train number was also print, “Distention: Your Own Personal Hell.  
Paul looks up from reading his ticket, and see Legion looking right at him with a little smile. Legion says, “Paul the Hitman Henderson! This way, please!” The red door at the end of the passenger car opened once again on it’s own powers.


End file.
